1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to applicators for chemical compounds and, more specifically, to a single-use, disposable, hand-held applicator having a collapsible handle and a pad impregnated with wax, shoe polish, medicines or other chemical compounds.
2. Description of The Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,152, issued to McBride, relates to an applicator and package combination for a single-use application of shoe polish. With reference to the drawings of the McBride patent, the applicator 74 includes a swab 76 and an applicator rod 78. The applicator is contained within a package 70 having a sealed chamber containing liquid shoe polish. The swab 76 protrudes into the sealed chamber, while the applicator rod 78 extends out of the sealed chamber so that a user can grasp the rod to remove the applicator from the sealed chamber without coming into contact with the shoe polish.
Unfortunately, the McBride arrangement is somewhat messy. Shoe polish is particularly difficult to remove from clothing and carpeting, and it is desirable to eliminate the possibility of polish spills. However, polish may spill out of the McBride package once the applicator has been removed, and when the package is otherwise pierced.
Additionally, since the unit holding the polish and the applicator are separate pieces, the user must occasionally dip the applicator into the package to reinfuse the swab with polish, thereby increasing the risk of a polish spill. Furthermore, there is no barrier between the swab and the rod once the user has removed the applicator from the packaging. Consequently, the user's fingers can get messy during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,725, issued to Slauterback, discloses a shoe polish applicator having a reusable handle 12 and a disposable polish pad 11. Because the Slauterback handle is not disposable, the Slauterback applicator is not well-suited to the user who wants to use the applicator only once. For instance, a traveller arriving at an airport may need to purchase a shoe polish applicator at a vending machine to quickly polish her or his shoes before a business meeting. The reusable handle would make the Slauterback applicator too expensive to sell in a vending machine and, in any event, the traveller would not want to carry the non-disposable handle to the business meeting.
Additionally, the angle of the Slauterback pad relative to the handle cannot be adjusted to allow the pad to get to hard-to-reach tight spots.
Various other applicators have been proposed, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,020,930, 5,242,232, 5,188,472, 4,715,496, and 4,708,507. However, none of these applicators are disposable and none provide for adjusting the angle of the pad relative to the handle. Additionally, these applicators lack adequate barriers between the handle and the polish in order to protect the hand and fingers from being stained during use.